[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
The Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers meet Sunday in Game 6 of their best-of-7 Western Conference Final, which the Oilers lead 3-2. Puck drop from Rogers Place is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Stars vs. Oilers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Oilers took Game 5 on the road 3-1 as +107 underdogs and the Under (5.5) cashed. Heading into the game, the talking heads and fans were down on Oilers G Stuart Skinner, but he was remarkable in the pivotal game, stopping 19 of 20 shots. Edmonton fired out to a 3-0 lead, scoring once in the 1st period and twice in the 2nd period, and held on for the 3-1 victory — the host Stars scored with 5:51 to go in the 3rd.
Edmonton C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins knocked in 2 power-play goals — for a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd — while D Philip Broberg added his 1st-career postseason goal as the Oilers stunned the Stars and their home crowd.
The Stars are 1-0 in elimination games this season, edging the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7 in the opening round. Dallas is 4-9 in the past 13 games when facing elimination, while Edmonton is 4-0 in the past 4 closeout games, including 2-0 this postseason.
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
Stars at Oilers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:29 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Stars +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Oilers -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars +1.5 (-225) | Oilers -1.5 (+180)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Stars at Oilers projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (10-8-0, 2.25 GAA, .917 SV% — 2024 playoffs) vs. Stuart Skinner (10-5-0, 2.60 GAA, .890 SV%, 1 SO — 2024 playoffs)
Oettinger has tailed off a bit, although his overall numbers are pretty good. The Dallas tendy has allowed 10 goals on 84 shots in the past 3 games, losing each of the past 2 outings. That includes 7 goals allowed on 58 shots in the past 2 visits to Edmonton.
After back-to-back losses in Games 2 and 3, the much-maligned Skinner bounced back with consecutive wins, allowing just 3 goals on 42 shots in Games 4 and 5 — he allowed 2 goals on 22 shots in Game 4.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Stars at Oilers picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 3, Stars 2
Moneyline
The OILERS (-135) are a strong play at home against the Stars (+115) in this elimination game.
Edmonton carries the hopes of an entire nation on its shoulder, as Canada hasn’t had a Stanley Cup winner since 1993. It appears the Oilers are in good shape to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup as it has 2 chances to close out the Stars.
The Oilers have won both closeout games so far in these playoffs, and they’re a good play in front of the home fans in Game 6.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Stars +1.5 (-225) will cost more than 2 times your potential return — if you require a little bit of insurance and you can’t back Dallas straight up.
The Oilers -1.5 (+180) can’t be trusted, although they’re quite a tempting play for the chance to nearly double up. Still, this should be a tight, low-scoring battle in Alberta. Edmonton has been involved in 1-goal games in 9 of its past 14 postseason contests, although the past 4 games have been decided by 2 or more goals.
PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 5.5 (-115) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Under cashed in Game 5, and that’s typical as a series goes deeper. We see less wide-open play, and more physicality, hitting, defense and goaltending as a series rolls along.
The Under is 6-2-1 in the past 9 games for the Oilers. However, the Over is 6-1-1 in 8 postseason home games, so tread lightly.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]